To celebrate the launch of the new Boat & Bridges Tour, a brand new tour for Summer 2024, Bright Bus hosted a VIP event for friends and partners across the city.

Last Wednesday (29^th May) guests from local businesses, attractions, trade bodies and interest groups joined the Bright Bus and Forth Boat Tours team at The Dome, Edinburgh. Attendees learned about the brand new tour whilst enjoying a cocktail party.

The boat and bridges tour, which launched on 1^st June, offers a unique sightseeing adventure across Edinburgh with a scenic drive through the city, heading towards the charming South Queensferry, from there enjoying unrivalled views of the iconic Forth Bridges and then onwards to Incholm Island with Forth Boat Tours.

The new tour comes ahead of Bright Bus Tours fifth birthday, which takes place next month, and the second addition to the Bright Bus portfolio, following the highly successful launch of Airport Express with hundreds of thousands of customers carried so far demonstrating remarkable growth and popularity. Bright Bus Tours has consistently experienced year-on-year expansion, reflecting on their commitment to providing exceptional services. As they look forward to continuing to innovate and enhance customers offerings.

Alex Hornby, Group Managing Director, said: “We are thrilled to expand BrightBus again in our 5^th birthday year here in Edinburgh, with this exciting new partnership with Forth Boat Tours. The new BrightBus Boat & Bridges Tour, offering a unique perspective of the city, the iconic Forth Bridges and the beauty of Inchcolm Island, will give visitors to Edinburgh yet more options alongside our City and Britannia Tours alongside our Bright Bus Airport Express into the City Centre. We were delighted to celebrate our success story with our friends and partners across the city, alongside our dedicated team of drivers and ambassadors who work so hard to make BrightBus the friendliest and best value tours across Edinburgh.”

Alastair Baird, Forth Boat Tour Sales, Marketing & Development Manager added: “We’re delighted to be working with Bright Bus to make it easy for tourist to explore the city by boat and bus. Edinburgh’s spectacular skyline is even more impressive when admired from the Forth and the iconic UNESCO World Heritage Forth Bridges is as popular with visitors as the Castle and Arthurs Seat. The Boat & Bridges Tour is the best way to get a unique perspective of Edinburgh and its world-class visitor attractions.”

Great Value Tickets

Bright Bus offers great value fares for the Boat & Bridges Tour, with adult tickets priced at £30 and senior ticket at £26. The best value ticket, valid for 7 days, includes a return trip on the Boat & Bridges Tour and unlimited travel on all other tours and the Airport Express, priced at £40 for adults and £90 for families (2 adults + up to 3 children).

To buy tickets: https://www.brightbustours.com/tour-tickets/

If you were born when The Beatles hit the big time, you’d be around 60 today, roughly sharing your age with the likes of Tom Cruise and George Clooney.

While this can be a time of continued fulfilling work or early retirement, secure housing and comfortable finances for some, nearly a quarter of everyone in the UK aged 60 to 64 is living in poverty.

The stark reality of being seen by employers as too old to work but by the state as too young to be a pensioner is creating a new and precarious life stage that does not yet have an adequate response from government or business.

The Fabian Society’s new report proposes a strategic, comprehensive set of measures across employment support, benefits and private pensions. Phoenix Insights has launched an accompanying report, highlighting the four areas of action needed. Read it here.

 

Edinburgh-based Smart Data Foundry is relaunching its synthetic data platform, Aizle, this week, following a period of sustained growth which has seen its client base and team expand in line with growing demand for its services.

Aizle, a synthetic data platform designed to accelerate innovation, is unveiling a new brand including a new stand-alone website to reflect its unique offering and facilitate plans for continued expansion and diversification.

Created by leading data innovation organisation Smart Data Foundry in 2023, Aizle has grown from a small research initiative employing two data scientists to a 15-strong division with enterprise clients including NatWest Group, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), TISA and Department for Business and Trade.

Aizle uniquely leverages AI simulation through ‘synthetic agents’ to generate complex and large synthetic datasets with no need for real data. This provides data where real data is unavailable, inadequate, compromised by privacy issues, or biased. By providing synthetic data, Aizle enables innovation in areas previously considered too difficult or expensive to explore. Additionally, Aizle’s synthetic data serves as a risk-free alternative to real-world data, eliminating privacy and other associated risks.

Aizle currently provides synthetic data to financial organisations for uses such as testing a prototype technological solution, training AI and Gen AI models, or powering sandboxes to support innovation initiatives, with ambitions to develop into new markets like energy, SME finance, home buying and telecoms.

David Tracy, Head of Data Products at Smart Data Foundry, said: “Interest in Aizle’s capabilities has soared, making it the perfect time to build a new brand and website to showcase its potential.

The market is starting to recognise that agent-driven synthetic data is not just hype but a proven, trustworthy vehicle for driving innovation and advancing AI initiatives.”

David says that using Aizle synthetic data can also help address some of the privacy and security concerns associated with using real-world data. New data breaches and scams occur every day, from major scandals like the recent Dell data breach, which put the data of 49 million global customers at risk, to the recent fake Taylor Swift ticket offers which flooded Facebook, with an estimated 3,000 victims being scammed.

As a member of the FCA Synthetic Data Expert Group, he says: “Regulators like the FCA and Information Commissioner’s Office are convening cross-industry experts and driving the conversation on how personal data is used. They are encouraging the firms they regulate – like banks, energy providers, and telecommunications companies – to minimise the use of real data and use synthetic data instead, as it can be a faster and safer way to effectively test new applications and AI initiatives.”

Unlike other synthetic data approaches, Aizle requires no real data as input. Aizle uses sophisticated AI technology to simulate the activities of synthetic people and businesses within a customisable framework of behavioural rules and patterns. This generates data about people’s jobs, spending, and financial relationships; about businesses’ bills, cashflow, and obligations; and links all of this to the big problems to solve like Fraud Scams, Environmental Impact, and Data Privacy and Ethics.

Recent Aizle projects have included working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to innovate in the area of Authorised Push Payment Fraud, one of the fastest growing financial crimes in the UK.

Aizle is currently in use with the Department for Business and Trade on a Smart Data Prize which will be launching later this summer and will enable participants to prototype their ideas in a ‘Digital Sandbox,’ with the strongest entrants eligible for a share of up to £750,000.

David said: “We are passionate about the opportunities synthetic data offers for unlocking innovation and disrupting the status quo. It benefits not only large enterprises but also empowers start-ups and SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprise). These smaller organisations, which might struggle to afford or access the necessary data, can now compete on a level playing field with major financial service institutions.”

To find out more about Aizle, visit aizle.ai.

Muckle Media, the creative communications agency, has appointed Iain Valentine as its first Non-Executive Chair. With a wealth of experience in leading award-winning digital, creative, and brand agencies, Iain brings over 25 years of strategic leadership and agency growth to Muckle Media, the first Scottish PR Agency to achieve B-Corp certification. Iain’s appointment follows the recent promotion of Muckle Media’s former creative lead, Jacquelyn Whyte, to director responsible for creative thinking and business development.

Iain spent 17 years as Creative Director, co-owner and Managing Partner of Edinburgh creative digital agency Whitespace (now Dentsu Creative). Iain has a proven track record of growth, leading an MBO followed by external acquisition and integration into global network Dentsu. In 2020, Iain took the position of CEO at Isobar UK– Dentsu’s global digital experience and transformation agency, responsible for over 400 people and £24m in revenue. Most recently, Valentine held a leadership and transformation role as Group Managing Director of Dentsu Creative before stepping down in 2022 to pursue a portfolio career.

Commenting on his appointment, Iain said: “I am incredibly excited to take on this new role as part of the progressive and dynamic leadership at Muckle Media. The team’s alignment to B-Corp certification and depth of commitment to its people and culture align with my own beliefs and are key to success in a modern agency.”

As Non-Executive Chair, Iain will play a pivotal role in guiding Muckle Media’s leadership team’s strategic direction, leveraging his extensive experience and industry insights to support the agency’s ambitious growth plans.

Founder and Managing Director of Muckle Media, Nathalie Agnew, welcomed Iain’s appointment, stating, “We are really looking forward to working with Iain as we continue to grow an exciting, impactful and creative agency that helps leave the world in a better place. Iain’s impressive track record leading the growth of Whitespace means he has overcome many of the challenges facing agencies and also identified and worked through many of the opportunities for growth, so his insights will be invaluable. Iain’s approach to agency advisory services is well aligned against our values and I look forward to working with him as we continue to sustainably grow the business.”

Iain’s appointment as Non-Executive Chair signifies an exciting new chapter for Muckle Media, as the agency continues to solidify its position as a leading force in the creative communications industry in Scotland and beyond.

Muckle Media’s leadership team, who will work closely with Iain, is made up of Nathalie Agnew, founder and managing director; Chris Batchelor, director (client service); Linsay Brown, director (people and culture) and Jacquelyn Whyte, director (creativity and business development).

With a strong focus on employer brand and ongoing development into its “Bright Ideas. Realised.” strategic planning framework, Muckle Media is firmly earning its position as one of Scotland’s top creative communications agencies with a specialism in earned media and influencer relations. It works with brands including the Scottish Government, The National Trust for Scotland and Bella & Duke pet food.

The firm’s Banking and Finance team has advised Export Development Canada and NatWest on the long-term financing of the Limekiln Wind Farm

Independent UK law firm Burges Salmon has advised Export Development Canada (EDC) and NatWest on the long-term financing of a 106MW wind farm, located in Caithness in the Scottish Highlands. Acting as co-mandated lead arrangers and co-lenders, EDC and NatWest together provided £130 million to support the construction of the Limekiln Wind Farm, owned by Canadian energy producer Boralex.

With the capacity to produce, per year, enough green electricity to power 40,200 homes and save at least 65,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, the project is Boralex’s largest scheme in Europe and its first project financing in the UK.

Advising the two lenders on all aspects of the deal, Burges Salmon provided banking, finance, energy, real estate, planning and construction expertise. The team was led by partners Stuart McMillan, Lloyd James, Alex Whiter and Euan Bremner, supported by directors Alistair Rattray and Laura Sharples, senior associates Alison Logan and Owen Watkins, associates Amy McPherson and Kirsten Ogg, solicitors Thomas Papke and Chris Glendinning and trainee solicitors Gemma Hines and Carys Cox.

Stuart McMillan comments: “It has been a pleasure working with NatWest and EDC to unlock this significant capital for Boralex’s flagship project in the UK, one that will greatly benefit local communities, providing zero-carbon electricity and delivering an array of social, economic, and environmental benefits. In what was a complex deal, our experience advising on these types of financing transactions in the renewables sector meant we were able to work together with all parties, and across multiple jurisdictions, to bring this landmark project to fruition.”

Kristofer Gibson, Director, NatWest Infrastructure & Project Finance, says: “We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to support Boralex with its maiden financing and development in the UK market. The debt facility is another example of NatWest’s commitment to actively help building a greener economy and future by providing £100 billion Climate and Sustainable Funding and Financing to our customers by the end of 2025.”

Combining sector knowledge with banking and finance expertise, Burges Salmon provides tailored advice from a range of perspectives to support lenders and borrowers on complex financing transactions in the UK and internationally. Working across sectors, the firm acts for some of the world’s largest banks, building societies and over 50 financial institutions, alongside numerous PLCs and large corporate clients globally.

Full fibre coming to 19,000¹ more  homes and businesses as plans welcomed by Scottish Government

Full fibre broadband is heading to more parts of Edinburgh and West Lothian, as part of a huge broadband upgrade by Openreach.

People living in Wester Hailes; the city’s Pentland exchange area, which serves Currie and Balerno; and Livingston Station in West Lothian are next in line for full fibre.

They join 1.2 million homes and businesses across Scotland who already have access to the UK’s most reliable broadband technology, thanks to Openreach’s work.

Across Scotland, the company has published updated plans to build full fibre broadband to 28 more locations – covering a further 120,0001 homes and businesses.

Robert Thorburn, Openreach partnership director for Scotland, said: “Our rollout of full fibre broadband is a huge infrastructure success story. As far as we know, no company is building faster or further in Europe. Our engineers are working at a rapid pace, despite the huge complexities of an engineering project on this scale, and we won’t be stopping any time soon.

“Our fibre network now passes around 290,000 properties across Edinburgh and the Lothians and today we’re pledging further investment for more local communities. Around four in 10 of those households and businesses have upgraded so far, so there’s plenty of  room for more people to switch to better broadband right now.”

Robert added: “Our fibre checker has the latest information about our work in your area. It’s also worth noting that upgrades aren’t automatic. Once full fibre is available where you live, you’ll need to place an order to get connected and we’ll do the rest.

“Our network offers the widest choice of providers such as BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Zen – which means people have lots of choice and can get a great deal.”

Scottish Government Employment and Investment Minister Tom Arthur said: “Digital infrastructure is a key enabler to support economic growth right across Scotland. It’s why the Scottish Government is making record investment in broadband infrastructure this year, and we will continue to work alongside Openreach and other partners to continue improving and extending our digital network to benefit communities and businesses across the country.

“As a signatory of Scotland’s Full Fibre Charter, Openreach is committed to accelerating and prioritising rollout of the technology. This welcome programme of work will bring continued significant investment in our workforce and national infrastructure, enabling more homes and businesses – including in our island and rural communities – to access a full fibre connection.”

The latest plans are part of Openreach’s £15 billion project to upgrade the UK’s broadband infrastructure – making gigabit-capable technology available to 25 million homes and businesses by the end of 2026, including 6.2 million in harder to reach, more remote and rural areas.

More than 4.7 million homes and businesses across the UK have already upgraded to Full Fibre and demand continues to flow, with more than 50,000 orders being placed each week.

Openreach has also refreshed its online map and postcode checker to give the public a clearer, regularly updated view of its plans and progress between now and 2026.

The map now shows the levels of current and future expected full fibre coverage as of today, taking data from all of its build programmes, whilst the postcode checker continues to offer the most personalised view of the connectivity available to an individual home or business.

Further updates will be provided as any additional locations are added in future.

Get ready to shake it off and sing along as this June, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh will be turning up the Taylor Swift tunes for a weekend celebration across the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th. For those that missed out on landing tickets to see Taylor live, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is offering tribute performances and drag themed brunches to ensure it’s a party like 1989.

 

Eve, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh’s all day dining concept situated on Cowgate is preparing for a Taylor Swift themed weekend. The hotel will play host to themed brunches, accompanied by drag performances as well as tribute acts and Taylor Swift inspired friendship bracelets, making it the perfect Swiftie experience.

 

TAYLOR SWIFT THEMED BRUNCHES – 7th, 8th, 9th June (12:00 – 16:00)

• On the 7th of June, Krystal Kleerwill be kicking off the weekend with a brunch fit for a Swiftie, filled with Taylor’s greatest hits and DJ performances that will keep the party going.
• On the 9th June, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh will be extending its existing brunch menu to include some of Taylor’s favourites, including burgers, chicken tenders, and a healthy sandwich option all created in true Eve style, by Executive Head Chef Giulio Morroni. This re-styled menu will also be available on 7th of June.
• Virgin Hotels Edinburgh has revamped its cocktail menu for the occasion, ensuring it has all of Taylor’s favourites renamed to match her Eras album. Cocktails include Bad Blood, Mad Woman, Cruel Summer, and Champagne Problems
• Custom Taylor themed bracelets will be created for guests during the weekend brunches, adding a personal touch to the fan experience with custom charms and colourful beads inspired by her iconic albums and lyrics.
• Venue: Eve
• Drinks package available including four Taylor Swift themed cocktails for £30pp.
• Bookings here.

TAYLOR SWIFT BIG BOOZY BRUNCH WITH ALICIA TRYDE – 8th June (12:00 – 16:00)

• On the 8th of June, Alice Trydewill be host for the Big Boozy Brunch, an interactive experience for guests, with performances of songs from all Taylor’s albums, lip sync battles, and finish the lyrics challenges with exciting prizes up for grabs.
• Venue: Eve
• Priced at £35pp which includes buffet starters, desserts and a la carte for the mains which includes a vast selection of seafood, charcuterie, cheese, and salads.
• Bookings here.

TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE HOSTED BY SHY BAIRNS ENTERTAINENT – 9th June (12:15 -16:00)

• For the ultimate Taylor Swift experience, Shy Bairns Entertainmentwill perform a homage to Taylor, performing all of her hit classics making it impossible not to sing along.
• To those that weren’t able to grab tickets to The Eras Tour, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is on hand to offer a star performance that will ensure it is a party like 1989.
• Eve will be transformed into an immersive experience, with performers singing and dancing to medleys spanning Taylor’s successful career.
• Between performances, guests will have the opportunity to embark on a Taylor-themed scavenger hunt with each winner rewarded with a complimentary Eve cocktail.
• Venue: Eve
• Free of charge

THE SWIFTIE LOUNGE – 7th, 8th, 9th June (All day)

• Virgin Hotels Edinburgh will transform its iconic Scarlet Lounge into ‘The Swiftie Lounge’ for the Taylor Swift weekend
• The Swiftie Lounge will host screenings of The Eras Tour all weekend, where guests are free to drop in throughout the 7th – 9th
• Taylor themed cocktails will be available to order as well as complimentary popcorn
• Venue: Scarlet Lounge
• Price: Free of charge

WINE DOWN THURSDAY WITH A TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE – 6th June (18:30 – 20:30)

• Kick off the Taylor Swift celebrations on Thursday 6th June as the talented Maryjane performs a special Taylor Swift set at Wine Down Thursdays.
• Maryjane is set to get crowds singing along, with performances from all of Taylors iconic Eras.
• Eve’s all day dining menu of delicious share plates will also be available.
• Venue: Eve Courtyard
• Price: Free of charge

Apex Hotels has made the top 100 Scottish companies list in Grant Thornton’s Scotland Limited report for 2024. The move follows a strong financial year for the hotel group following a period of exceptional growth, as demand from both business and leisure guests continues to build.

The Hotel group is in good company as the report shows that Scotland’s top 100 private limited companies make reported revenue of £40 billion, EBITDA of £7 billion and employ 136,000 people.

Following the sale of Apex London Wall Hotel and a five-year refinancing deal with Barclays worth over £60m, the group is on the acquisition trail, purchasing two rural properties this year, Pitlochry’s Pine Trees Hotel – back in July 2023 – and the beautiful Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course in April 2024. The acquisitions are part of an ambitious expansion plan targeting popular UK destinations.

Apex Hotels, Chief Executive, Angela Vickers said: “This year we have built upon strong foundations, with a renewed confidence in the market as demand from our UK and international guests returns.

Our ambitious acquisition strategy will help diversify and expand our portfolio, delivering more choice through a wider range of destinations for our guests.

This year we have successfully matched revenue and occupancy growth with a healthy profit margin, allowing us to sustainably re-invest in the business and our people. This includes doubling down on our effort to build a sustainable, community focused organisation through our ESG strategy.”

UK top 50 and leading Scottish law firm Brodies LLP has added to its private client disputes practice with the appointment of Richard Pike as partner.

Ranked Band 1 in Chambers High Net Worth Guide for Private Wealth Disputes, Richard has more than 17 years’ experience in practice, specialising in private client disputes with English law and cross-border elements. His expertise includes matters involving inheritance, trusts, tax, land, commercial agreements, partnerships and professional negligence, and he acts for a range of clients including high net worth individuals, professional trustees, family investment companies, insurers, charities and professional services advisers.

Richard is English-qualified and joins Brodies from Womble Bond Dickinson, to be based in the firm’s Edinburgh office.

Louise Shiels, Head of Dispute Resolution and Risk at Brodies, said: “Richard’s appointment adds considerable strength to our existing private client disputes practice. Disputes with a cross-UK or international element is a growing area of the contentious private client market, and Richard is recognised for his expertise in navigating highly complex matters. Our clients will benefit from his technical know-how and solutions-driven approach, on issues that are often highly sensitive and personal.”